Ipoh: The No. 2 seed Soong Joo Ven eased past Korakrit Laotrakul of Thailand with a straight-sets win 21-12, 21-9 in the 2022 Malaysia International Challenge second round in Ipoh, Malaysia and will meet compatriot Lim Chi Wing in the third round.
Men’s singles No. 4 seed Cheam June Wei also advanced to the third round after seeing off Saran Jamsri of Thailand 21-17, 21-14. He is scheduled to meet Mohamad Haris Sufian Rushdan on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Indonesia Masters winner, Leong Jun Hao, however, had to work hard to defeat teammate Ong Zhen Yi 17-21, 21-18, and 21-12 to move into the third round. Leong will battle Lee Dong Keun of Korea for a spot in the quarter-final.
In women’s singles, the No. 1 seed and two-time former world junior champion Goh Jin Wei has decided to retire from the tournament. According to her coach, Nova Armada, Goh needed time to rest and get ready for the 2023 season.
“She still recovering from the Bangladesh IC so it’s probably a good idea for her to take a break for the remainder of the year,” said Armada.
“Hopefully, she will come back stronger at the Super 1000 Malaysia Open from Jan 10 to Jan 15 next year,” added Armada, who also coaches Soong Joo Ven and Cheam June Wei.
With Goh’s absence from the Malaysia International Challenge, the 2019 Sea Games champion Kisona Selvaduray who was hoping to end the year on a high note, was forced to concede a walkover in the first round citing a knee injury.
“Three days ago, however, my right knee swelled up. I’ll go back to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow to get it scanned,” said Selvaduray.
